IRRETRIEVABLE Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

irretrievable

adjective

ˌir-i-ˈtrē-və-bəl

Definition of irretrievable

as in hopeless

not capable of being cured or reformed an irretrievable drug addict who had wasted a once-promising life

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in irreparable

not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone this is just an irretrievable mess, so let's start all over again

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of irretrievable Days before, Sheriff Nanos had said images were irretrievable. — Richard Ruelas, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2026 This dreamscape of the island, like that of the jungle, illuminates in children’s literature a sense of utopia and longing about childhood as a not-quite-place, situated in an irretrievable past-yet-future, while at the same time rooted in an anti-utopian logic of adulthood. — Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025 Alcaraz broke the Italian twice, winning the set with an incredible backhand flick from what looked like an irretrievable position and cupping his ear. — Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025 There is a genuinely irretrievable, ephemeral, low-res version of the movie. — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for irretrievable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irretrievable

Adjective

In any case, the epilogue sticks the landing and allows audiences to leave the theater feeling riled up rather than hopeless.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Corruption was endemic, and the country’s deeper troubles—its poverty, its social inequities, and the hopeless conditions that drive millions of Nepalis to emigrate for work—endured, laying the kindling for last year’s explosion.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of hopeless

Adjective

For a parent to refuse them outright may represent a fundamental, irreparable breakdown of the doctor-patient relationship.

— Eric Boodman, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
The lawsuit alleges four families with addresses in Mansfield, Georgia have had irreparable damage to their property and quality of life throughout the construction and operation of the Meta data center.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of irreparable

Adjective

In July, French lawmakers backed a similar bill to allow adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026
She was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, an incurable lung condition that led to her wearing a nasal cannula, or oxygen breathing tube, for some public appearances before her transplant.

— Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of incurable

Adjective

What mattered was making sure the initial choice never became irreversible, so an organization could change models as its scale and requirements evolved.

— Sergey Stopnevich, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
One character’s private moral failure ripples outward into mass death, public catastrophe, and irreversible damage for all surrounding him.

— Henry Metz, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of irreversible

Adjective

Countless documents were left lying out in the open and quickly became irrecoverable.

— Amer Matar, The Dial, 26 May 2026
At the same time, much of the world is facing water bankruptcy, meaning people and industries are using more fresh water than nature can replenish, leading to irrecoverable ecosystem damages.

— Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026

Definition of irrecoverable

Adjective

If the answer involves customer harm, regulatory exposure or unrecoverable decisions, AI as autonomy is being requested at the wrong scope.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
The business also has made Space Shuttle drag parachutes for the orbiter, and parachutes that deploy from the tails of F-22 and F-35 military jets to break them from unrecoverable stalls or spins.

— Pat Maio, Oc Register, 29 May 2026

Definition of unrecoverable

Adjective

Early moves from England to Ireland to Nigeria and then back to England had left me feeling an irremediable outsider.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Many of the country’s top psychiatric groups warn that there is no empirical standard for determining whether a mental-health condition is irremediable.

— Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026

Definition of irremediable

Adjective

In interviews, colleagues and friends have painted the portrait of Galliano before his downfall as a brilliant designer as well as an incorrigible drunk who trashed hotel rooms.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Graham, who died unexpectedly on July 11 at age 71, was equally irascible and incorrigible.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 28 July 2026

Definition of incorrigible

Browse Nearby Words

irresponsibleness

irretrievable

irreverence

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“Irretrievable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irretrievable. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of irretrievable

adjective

Example Sentences

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